Finalist for Women’s Basketball Elite 8

City of Mankato and University are potential hosts for NCAA Division II event.

Mankato, Minn. --- The city of Mankato and Minnesota State University, Mankato have been listed as one of five potential sites to host a Division II Women’s Basketball Elite 8 in the next four years as the NCAA on Wednesday announced the host site finalists for the final round of 81 of its 89 championships for the 2014-18 championship seasons.

The finalists were selected by the respective sport committees, which are made up of coaches and administrators from NCAA member schools and conferences, from an original pool of 1,948 bids. The committees will select the winning sites, which must then be approved by the appropriate divisional championships cabinets/committees before being announced via webcast at NCAA.com on Dec. 11. The announcement also will include all pre-determined regional host sites.

The 150 cities named as finalists for at least one championship are spread across 39 states and the District of Columbia. Ohio led the way as the state with the most finalist selections with 24 championship sites, while the state of Florida had 22 selections and North Carolina had 21. Louisville was the city that received the most selections with 13, while Columbus, Ohio, and Birmingham, Ala., both had eight.

There are 213 hosting opportunities for the finals site of the 81 championships. Cities were able to bid for one or more years of the same championship.

“We are thrilled to be considered one of five finalists for this prestigious national championship event,” said Kevin Buisman, Minnesota State Mankato’s Director of Athletics. “Taylor Center’s Bresnan Arena is one of the finest facilities in NCAA Division II and hosting the Elite 8 women’s tournament would provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase Greater Mankato, Minnesota State, and the Maverick athletic program. We are hopeful that our previous experience, outstanding facilities, and a tremendous community will prove to be just the right combination when the final host site selections are announced in December.”

Minnesota State Mankato has a rich history of hosting national championship events dating back to wrestling national championships held in Mankato in 1966 and 1968 and men’s gymnastics in 1970. More-recently the school hosted the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship in 2004 and the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in 2008 and 2012.